BURNS' promoter fears that judges will take his lucky win over Raymundo Beltran into consideration when he takes on the unbeaten American on March 1.

Hearn (left): "Sometimes people take other factors into consideration when returning their score cards."

WORLD title fight promoter Eddie Hearn hopes Ricky Burns isn’t the victim of ring judges caught in two minds when he fights Terence Crawford.

Scotland’s WBO lightweight champion Burns was on the receiving end of what was called a debatable draw when he fought Raymundo Beltran last September.

Now Hearn hopes the judges who score the defence of his title against the highly-rated American don’t have that controversial decision at the back of their minds inside Glasgow’s SECC on March 1.

Hearn said: “When the judges come to this one, and they have to be neutral judges for a mandatory title defence, will part of their subconscious remind them Ricky has just got a fortunate decision?

“They will all know about the fight with Beltran and how it ended and that is one problem with judging these days. Sometimes people take other factors into consideration when returning their score cards.”

Hearn uses the recent fight between Carl Froch and George Groves in Manchester to underline his ?misgivings about Burns’s next bout.

He added: “Groves made a really good point to me after he was stopped by the referee in that fight.

“He said his reputation was of being a fighter who was vulnerable, chinny and able to be hurt.

“Meanwhile, Froch’s reputation had him marked down as a warrior who was almost super human.

“So when Froch was getting leathered early in the fight the referee is subconsciously thinking to himself, ‘Carl’s a warrior. He’ll be all right’.

“Then Groves is on the ropes later in the fight, getting his head snapped back, and the ref ends the contest.”

There’s even a worry in Hearn’s mind that home territory could be a disadvantage for Burns.

The SECC will be packed and Hearn is already on record as saying the atmosphere created by the crowd in Glasgow is the best he has ever experienced in boxing.

But bedlam plants a seed of doubt in judges’ minds.

Hearn said: “I’ve been to fights where the noise is incredible and thought the loser had been well beaten.

“Then I’ve gone home and watched a recording of the same fight without any sound and my mind has been changed completely.

“On the one hand that’s the beauty of having Ricky fight at home.

“On the other hand, the judges are sitting wondering if the home fighter has delivered a scoring shot just because the arena has gone mad.

“I hope the crowd gets right behind Ricky though and if it’s a close fight with Crawford I hope Burns gets it.